BART on Wednesday night announced it has received no indication striking unions will return to work Thursday, and commuters should continue to make alternative transportation plans.

Negotiations resumed earlier in the day at 1 p.m. The unions and management were urged to get together by high-ranking state leaders.

Overnight BART Negotiations Stall; Set to Resume Wednesday Afternoon

Christie Smith reports live from Oakland on Day 3 of BART strike where BART is meeting with union representatives and state mediators to come to an agreement to end the strike. (Published Wednesday, Jul 3, 2013)

BART apologized for all the commuting headaches, but again, blamed the unions for the problems.

"We are sorry that the actions of ATU and SEIU have caused such a tremendous disruption to the people of the Bay Area," BART said in a statement. "We are working hard to bring a fair and responsible resolution to labor talks."

BART Strike: Commuters Hop onto Chartered Buses

Marla Tellez reports live on Day 3 of the strike as commuters hop onto chartered buses at the West Oakland BART station. (Published Wednesday, Jul 3, 2013)

Meanwhile, Bay Area commuters faced Day 3 of the strike on Wednesday, with long lines of traffic starting earlier than usual.

BART Strike to Add to Expected Heavy Traffic for A's Game

The Oakland Athletics are expecting a crowd of at least 30,000 people for Wednesday night's game, which will include a fireworks show. Monte Francis reports on how the BART strike will add to a projected traffic jam. (Published Tuesday, Jul 2, 2013)

Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Brown, said, "All parties are returning to the bargaining table tonight. To facilitate discussion between BART and its unions, the state is sending in two of its top mediators."

He identified them as Anita Martinez, the chair of the Public Employment Relations Board, and Loretta van der Pol, the chief of the State Mediation and Conciliation Service.

Earlier in the day, BART announced it had reached a tentative agreement with one of the striking unions -- AFSCME Local 3993, which represents more than 200 members who serve as supervisorial and professional staff for the agency.

BART spokesman Rick Rice said the talks resumed at 6 p.m. at the Caltrans building at 11 Grand Ave. in Oakland but Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 President Antonette Bryant said the talks resumed at 6:30 p.m.

Her union represents 945 station agents, train operators and foreworkers and the other union involved in the talks, Service Employees International Union Local 1221, represents 1,430 mechanics, custodians and clerical workers.

Tuesday's bargaining session comes toward the end of the second day of a strike by BART workers represented by the two unions.

Previously, negotiations were halted after union representatives left the table on Sunday, hours before their contracts expired at midnight, Rice said.

Bryant said earlier on Tuesday that workers were hopeful talks would resume soon.

The strike, which began Monday morning, stems from disputes over issues including wages, health benefits, pension plans and safety.

Rice said management has offered to double salary increases from 4 percent over four years to 8 percent over the same period. He said management has also lowered the amount it was initially asking workers to contribute to pension and health care plans.

Rice said Saturday that the unions had come down from demanding a 23 percent salary increase to a 21 percent increase over a three-year period.

"We had some conversation Sunday night, but we've not been able to have a real conversation about our response and our proposal," Rice said.

Bryant said the workers are asking for a 4.5 percent wage increase annually for three consecutive years. The unions have agreed to contribute half a percent more to their pension each year, she said.

She said union workers' pension funds are 92 percent funded by BART, but that BART does not contribute to social security.

She said workers contribute $92 a month toward medical benefits.Rice said the average annual compensation for workers represented by the two unions, including base salary, benefits and overtime, is about $134,000.

Bryant, a station agent herself, said the average salary of workers in her union is about $60,000 a year.